Lightening in the ShadowsKakashixShikamaru
by AfterForev3R
Summary: Kakashi discovers he has much in common with the intelligent but lazy Shikamaru Nara, and delves into a field he's never gone with any pupil before him. Of course there's the age gap, and the fact that Orochimaru's still intent on hitting the village during Shikamaru's Chuunin exams. But is there hope regardless? Lightening in the Shadows.
1. Chapter 1

Lightening in the Shadows

Chapter One

_Another Year_

It was the end of the year. Shikamaru had watched the days come and go in a dizzy blur of semi-consciousness, waiting for this moment.

Kakashi had sat disinterested, reclining into his chair while he observed the young lives of a half dozen generations flash before him. Every one the same or similar. The achiever, the genius, the comedian, the bully. The overly happy and the overly emo. The Narutos and Sasukes, that passed by his desk with a Konoha headband strapped on with pride at the end of the school year around this time. There was something terribly redundant about the years. Perhaps he wasn't reading into them enough.

Still this year, Kakashi managed to balance himself on the verge of concentration. His acute senses were being summoned by something he would never admit to himself could be capturing him. One student, who by some aberrancy, had managed to stand out from the legions of others.

Shikamaru Nara turned his head as he reached the end desk, his perky thirteen year old eyes bounding up into Kakashi's with sudden expectancy. "Am I signing?"

Kakashi collected himself in time, replying haltingly. "Um…yeah." His hands passed the board he'd been hoarding over with careful precision, as though the youth might drop it. "Here"

With the look Shikamaru cast its apparently unwanted weight, his fears weren't unprecedented. A signature was scrawled in lazy handwriting. "There. Am I ninja now sensei?" Shikamaru asked, willingly returning the board to its keeper.

Kakashi couldn't help but to fixate himself on Shikamaru. There was something in the familiar manner in which he carried himself- as though he'd woken up tired-that Kakashi was relating to. "Well…almost. You're just…a little ninja."

"A Genin, you mean?" Shikamaru asked his nameless elder casually. He shrugged as one of the next students in line, some kid with his dog, started nudging him onwards in excited impatience. "Sigh. That means another lot of years to appease my parents." Shikamaru wandered away with tragic steps that marked his journey to great places, if he'd ever carry himself over to them. Kakashi watched in fond amusement as he detected the boy's final trailing off on the words: "How troublesome…"

"Kakashi…" Iruka suddenly berated him as he swept up out of nowhere. "You're holding the line up. Next! Hello Kiba…"

The kid with the puppy materialized at the edge of the 'You Passed! Collect your Konoha Headband here!' signboard. Between him and his adorable snuffling white fur ball, it was hard to discern whose tail was thumping faster. "I did it! I passed! I'm awesome!"

"Kiba, was it?" Kakashi posed the rhetorical question as he scanned the kid's page from under Shikamaru's."Well done, you passed. Hey Iruka…" The kid was tossed his blue headband, which he snatched up like a gold award. "D'ya know that Nara kid cleared with an aggregate of 98%?"

"You wouldn't believe it." Iruka suddenly cracked a smile, warmly smiling at Kiba before hailing the next kid over. "He slept through study classes."

"Slept through them?" Kakashi asked incredulously, reminiscent of his younger days. Iruka busied himself with sorting through Kakashi's pile of papers for the next Genin he was supposed to award a headband to. "You mean, all of them?"

"Pretty much." Iruka offered him, still immersed in their task. "He wasn't supposed to ace like that, it sends a bad message to all the other kids. I mean…I think the slacker beat the Uchiha boy."

Kakashi stilled on the thought, musing it over as he sifted through the pile of papers already signed. He fumbled until he'd landed on the student's in question. "Uchiha Sasuke. Well, he missed it by just barely. Kid's sitting on a 96."

Iruka bit the side of his lip at that, prompting Kakashi to pry with, "What?"

"Don't think he was so happy about the 4%. But I had to penalize him for teamwork."

"What was wrong with his teamwork?"

Iruke rotated his slow and deliberate gaze towards him. "It doesn't exist."

Once more, Kakashi found himself fetching the memories of his own childhood days. "Well, 96 ain't bad. Sure isn't half as alarming as what some of them scraped on."

"Naruto. May the Hokages of past and present be with that boy." And Iruka returned himself to his duty before Kakashi could ask him to elaborate.

He was curious at himself for even having taken any noticeable interest in the year's Genins. Soon, they'd be allocated Jonins who could steer them towards even more promising futures. Kakashi knew he himself was going to be one of those Jonins. Who was he going to be assigned to that year? Kids bordering on full color passes? Or…kids like whoever Naruto was supposed to be.

"Ahem!" A persistent voice piercing with its adamancy tainted the calm air. "I'd like my headband now!" Kakashi peered down wondrously at the child bearing a grin that extended into felicity, bobbing up and down on his feet with his strident orange jumpsuit shifting in rhythm. There was something interesting about his eager eyes and his prickling yellow hair that captivated Kakashi for a moment before answering, as the Nara boy had done to him. "Um…here. You are…"

"Uzamaki Naruto!" The kid was proud to announce, thundering the words to be sure that even the dead Hokages were listening. "I'm going to be Hokage!"

"Aww. Now isn't that sweet." Kakashi humored him, indulging enough to steal a look at his results. "Let's just see here what you got for…" And then he remembered why the name had tolled through his head like bells. After absorbing the mark score sheet, he tossed his concerned gaze back at Naruto with Iruka's forewarning in mind. The kid seemed to have little to be beaming back about as things stood with his below minimum pass rate. "You…passed." Kakashi finally offered him, glad for the mask he wore to hide his horror. "Well-Well done kid."

"Yes! I passed! Dattebay-"

"Next!" Kakashi called quickly, before he could be expected to concoct any further praise. Meanwhile, Iruka left to finish stacking paperwork. Kakashi tilted his head up to view the rest of the disjointed line still due up front, as it trailed back all the way down a mass of small persons who wanted headbands. He sighed unwillingly. "What is with the need for recognition?"

Gaze easily distracted in his reluctance to work, Kakashi stumbled onto the distant sight of the Nara boy. So his father was Shikaku: go figure. With grades like those, who else's son? Kakashi smiled as he wondered why he hadn't drawn the parallels.

Then he reminded himself it was because Shikaku was an activist, Shikamaru inclined to a sedentary style of living. Much like he himself was, perched up at his desk without the faintest motivation to carry out his work until Iruka returned to the scene and forced him.

Shikamaru in the near distance was fussing about the headband his father had wrestled onto his forehead, complaining words too out of earshot for Kakashi to be sure of, but with lip movements he interpreted as: "Dad, it's ruining me." Shikaku was laughing warmly as he doted on his little whiner, readjusting the headband up and down as best he could trying to fix his apparent dilemma. Eventually, Shikamaru resorted to just pulling it off his head. He seemed to be swearing he'd find a place for the encumbering thing, which his dad settled on with a proud tap on his son's head. When Shikaku had drifted away to find someone or something, Shikamaru leant back on a support beam with eyes wary of the headband in his hands. He seemed to be reluctant to carry its added weight around with him, which Kakashi emphasized with. Without realizing, Kakashi had gotten to his feet and abandoned his post with mindless negligence.

A frowning Neji watched him proceed away from the front with his headband set in his mind's eye.

Kakashi had reached Shikamaru's side and been removed from anyone's range of protest too quickly to be halted. He smiled with unexpected ease, devoid of the usual revulsion he felt towards the unfamiliar children he encountered every year. "Shikamaru, was it?"

Shikamaru's eyes crossed him warily. "Yeah?" He asked with distrusting stare. "Who's asking?"

"I'm Kakashi, by the way."

"Oh." Was all Shikamaru offered him, fidgeting with the steel disc on his headband.

Kakashi ventured further still despite the stranger barrier. "Uh, hey. You know those headbands seem kind of heavy right? Ya know, when you're young."

Shikamaru shrugged, evidently unfazed with being deemed young. "I guess so."

"So…why don't you wear it…on your arm?" Kakashi randomized, recalling past students in all their numerous ways of trying something different with the headband.

"My arm?" Shikamaru repeated unthinkingly, staring blankly as Kakashi slipped the soft blue cloth of the headband from his fingers.

"Here, like this." Kakashi wasn't surprised at himself until after he'd done it. The headband was successfully bound with great care and accuracy around the boy's shoulder, winking at the overhead sun from the metal part bearing the Leaf symbol.

Shikamaru's nose angled over at it. "Um…yeah." He didn't rush to remove it though. "Thanks, I guess."

Kakashi felt the awkwardness rise until it flushed his face red. He hastened to extract himself from the scene before it showed straight through his grey mask. "Anyway, I have a job to be at. You remember me when you carry that band around, alright? Alright." Kakashi was glad for his unmatched speed as he dissipated right before Shikamaru's hanging open mouth, his response lost to his elder's decision.

When Kakashi arrived at his desk it was, without satisfaction, moments before Iruka did. He didn't even have the reassuring reproaching to fall back on as distraction. Instead he sat hot with uninterrupted embarrassment.

Taken an interest? In this year's students? In this year's one particular student?

Why though…what was it about the Nara boy?

Without meaning to, Kakashi risked a glance back in the direction he'd left the boy, steeped back against the wooden beam. His eyes had not yet traced Kakashi back to the desk, or otherwise he was preoccupied with something.

It was the headband, Kakashi realized with somewhat satisfaction. He was fiddling with it again, still making a hassle of it, still uncertain he was willing about it. And then with eventual relent, he took his hand from the bound up thing as though he liked it there. There, strapped to his thin shoulder. There where Kakashi had placed it for him.

Kakashi smiled with a sense of smugness that he'd achieved the impossible: appeased one of his kind.

"Neji passed with like a million percent, mister. Please, give him a headband." Iruka said, dropping one down into Kakashi's unsuspecting hands.

With half a glance diverted from Neji, Kakashi handed him the object with most of his attention settled a few steps away, on the boy with a headband already bound to his arm. On the even less suspecting Shikamaru Nara.

This year was going to be different, he could already tell.

Lightening in the Shadows~


	2. Chapter 2

Lightening in the Shadows

Chapter Two

_Pretty Harmless_

The sound of collision emanated from nearby, as a generation's worth of Genins tensed themselves for combat.

Iruka's voice was quick and encouraging, as he barred their excited way momentarily. "The top floors are broken. The only way out is through the ground level. Take it in teams and rescue anyone you find on your way. Be careful…" His final words were meant to resonate, but they'd barely even been registered above the sudden baying of the crowd. Iruka stepped aside while they still had momentum. "Go! Remember your training." They surged forwards as though one entity, splintering outwards as each found their own notion of the best possible route available. "God, please. Remember your training…" Iruka was surprised to encounter Shikamaru's bored gaze as he turned around. A single deer that hadn't sprung with the eager herd. "Shikamaru?" He said, unprepared for the lack of enthusiasm. "They've gone. Go."

Shikamaru's voice pled with tiredness, "But…it's just a drill."

Iruka's face sank at the only student whose energy was worth more than his grades. "Shikamaru…one day all of this will be real." Iruka didn't glance up as Kakashi stole in beside them. "So you need the experience…What is this?"

Shikamaru turned his plea on Kakashi for a moment, then realized how little argument he had to pose. He relinquished with exasperation in his tone. "Troublesome."

"We'll see." Iruka allowed, nudging the boy as he struck off after the others. He passed his attention to Kakashi's arrival. "Kakashi?"

"Just…came to watch." The Jonin reckoned with a shrug. "How're their odds?"

"Based on their skills, actually. It only gets dangerous after you clear the thinking field. So Naruto and Kiba are pretty much safe, it's kind of for Neji and Sasuke…"

"And Shikamaru."

Iruka paused, leaving Kakashi to wonder if he'd said something odd in the silence. Finally, he nodded. "Well, yeah, him too."

The commotion of kunais being flung avidly across the room was dizzying. Sasuke sidestepped every weapon the opposition had to offer him at an acceleration Iruka had to allocate two Jonins to slow down. Neji outsmarted them, passing Iruka's efforts without a backwards glance. Naruto fought wildly against the initial onslaught of kunais meant only to distract the players for a moment's passing, not the duration of the drill.

"Naruto! Move on!" Iruka suddenly noticed the signboard that read 'innocent', an object students got points for collecting, as though they'd saved a civilian. It wasn't worth the time he was wasting. "Naruto, you won't get it! Just move on!"

Naruto threw himself over and around the kunais being relentlessly fired from a machine out of sight. He regarded nobody's advice until he'd skipped backwards into an area that allowed him to retrieve the mock civilian, throwing up the triumphant words. "You're alive! Dattebayo!" Before racing to close the berth with the others.

Although everyone's movements were fluid in respect to their style of fighting, Kakashi's eyes had wandered backwards to the start of the obstacles, where Shikamaru was still meandering up the steep pile of fallen debris. How easily he anticipated any oncoming threat, how uninterested he was as he evaded it. Kakashi broke a smile. It didn't look much more than troublesome, for sure.

Shikamaru weaved through hordes of enemies and maneuvered around dozens of obstacles. His view of the goal line went unobstructed by the sudden rearing wall of puzzles amounted at the front of the entrance; that led out into the more hazardous sector of the exercise. Sasuke's eyes flicked up darkly as Shikamaru, last to arrive, was the first to successfully complete the puzzle section and spring clear into the next combat area.

Neji followed closely after, assisted by Lee and TenTen, while Sasuke struggled on alone regardless of Sakura's willingness to share the challenge.

Iruka shook his head dismally, striking something down onto his clipboard under Sasuke's name.

Kakashi couldn't keep the smile off his face as Shikamaru dodged the surprise attack launched upon entering the next room as if it wasn't really that surprising.

Everything was being coordinated effectively as the drill proceeded into the final stage. Naruto and Kiba were, as expected, intercepted by the demands of the puzzle challenge. Within a moment's notice, Iruka's predictions were unfolding.

Sasuke caught up with Neji and Shikamaru in lengthened strides, falling into the line of fire. It appeared noticeably redundant to Shikamaru, who'd passed the last onslaught effortlessly. His guard was down in his own overconfidence. He missed something, reserved for the guards as adamant as the Uchiha and the Hyugua. He missed a kunai launched at dangerous speed from behind him.

The impact thudded dully as the bloodied kunai whistled into the wooden floorboards.

Iruka stood open mouthed, unable to convey his relief in the short seconds that passed between his gaze moving from the kunai to the bloodstain on Shikamaru's shirt. Kakashi had flashed out of nowhere to intercept the attack from being direct. Shikamaru had been spared by his watchfulness.

"Thank God, you're Kakashi." Iruka said breathlessly. He called for the test to halt immediately as Shikamaru's blood trail quickened.

Kakashi still held the boy tentatively, from the way he'd caught him trying to veer them off course of the kunai. Shikamaru's eyes wavered, unintentionally alert all of a sudden. He flashed them up at Kakashi. "Ow." He muttered, words still drowsy.

"You're okay. It just scraped." Kakashi told him placidly. He looked back over to Iruka, who wasn't being received well for the request to suddenly cease the test. He helpfully decided against it. "Iruka, it'll be fine. I'll take Shikamaru to first aid."

"It's not that bad…" Shikamaru found reason to protest, holding his stomach gingerly.

Iruka nodded quickly, eager to return his attention to the other students in harm's way. "Alright Kakashi. Do that. Meet you back there after."

Shikamaru had his mouth open on the verge of an argument before Kakashi's departure bounced it closed again. He held onto Kakashi's arm as the nauseating rush of movement guided them to the medical room.

"That was stupid." Shikamaru murmured as Kakashi placed him down on an open bed. "I…ow."

Kakashi glanced back at the complaint, pitying the Genin while he rummaged through the medic drawers for bandages.

"I forgot the training." Shikamaru admitted, a little ruefully. "It seemed sorta easy."

Kakashi located the bandage drawer, making short work of allocating a piece to suite Shikamaru's need while he listened. He laid it down on the bed beside the student, replying fondly, "It wasn't stupid. It was careless."

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at that. "No. I'm pretty sure my teacher would call it stupid."

Kakashi shook his head lightly, eyes tracing Shikamaru's expression right up from his pouting lips to his glossy eyes. He freed a smile, comparing them both again as he spoke. "Well geniuses can be that too sometimes." He lifted his hand towards Shikamaru's shirt, blotched in blood on one corner. "May I?"

"Ah-hm." Shikamaru bid him, turning his gaze away. "I don't really want to see it, so you should probably do it."

Kakashi pulled his shirt off, a delicate process that resulted in Shikamaru snatching his breath in at the pain. The shirt peeled away from the open injury with the slight motivation of Kakashi's hands.

"There, it's over." Kakashi found some words he'd heard Iruka say before, naturally incapable of mommy-talk.

Shikamaru assessed the damage warily, then darted his eyes back up at Kakashi. "I'm not a kid, you know."

Kakashi laughed politely, ruffling his silver hair to busy his hands. "Um, sure. I meant that." He was surprised for no real reason to find the shirt still locked between his fingers. He noticed the Konoha headband had been stitched there now. A permanent gesture. He hastily placed it on the bed as though it might mean something it shouldn't if he held it for too long. "We should bandage it anyway."

Shikamaru averted gaze again, averse to unnecessary pain. "Be careful."

"Since you weren't," Kakashi said jeeringly, grabbing the bandage he'd prepared from beside the boy.

While Shikamaru's eyes were off him, he surveyed every aspect of the Genin. From his warm but quiet eyes to his likable tail of cinnamon hair. To his evenly dipping chest as it accepted the air he raked in. His slight frame and naked flesh. His little vulnerable patch of broken skin, from where the kunai had slit in narrow passing. Kakashi distractedly realized he was taking long enough to arouse suspicion. He smacked the bandage on a little hurriedly.

"Ow," Shikamaru yelped, wincing. "Not so fast."

Kakashi laughed embarrassedly, regaining his gentleness in dealing with the injury as consciousness returned. "Sorry." He applied the necessary treatment before trapping the wound closed in white thread. Shikamaru made considerable effort to resist his usual fussing.

When Shikamaru rose, it was on hurried steps. He'd underestimated his injury, and had to land on his feet to acknowledge its tenderness. A disorientated sound fell from his mouth before he gripped Kakashi's shirt for steadying. The Jonin had just scooped up Shikamaru's shirt to give back to him at the same instant. They stood for a moment, holding the other's shirt a little dazedly.

Shikamaru detached first. "Sorry. Sensitive." He excused himself quickly, outstretching one hand for his shirt to be returned while he grasped his wounded side with the other. "Thanks."

Kakashi saw through the haze in time to extend his hand that held the Genin's shirt. "Right, here."

It was back on its owner's figure in no time. Kakashi held his breath in the silence that rung after.

A bird was projecting its symphony into the clean evening air, calling in sweet broken choruses. Kakashi refrained from staring after Shikamaru, but he'd noticed the boy's eyes cross for the window. The sound penetrated the stillness until there was nothing left of it, steady and determined. Consuming.

Shikamaru returned his young gaze to his elder beside him. "It's pretty."

"It's a mating call," Kakashi said on a breath of laughter, pausing as though he'd said something inappropriate. "Um, yeah. Kind of a different way to find love. But still…"

Shikamaru shrugged, unfazed as he mentioned, "Still pretty."

There was definitely something Kakashi would have liked to say in the moment that landed after the statement. If Iruka hadn't burst through the doors, throwing his sight around the room until it found what it wanted. "Okay. Shikamaru. We gotta talk."

Shikamaru peered back at Kakashi questionably, probably aware that he was on the brink of trouble. He had, after all, ignored the fundamental rule of Iruka's training.

And that was to remember the training.

"Coming." He surrendered in exasperation. Kakashi watched for an offbeat moment as Iruka led Shikamaru out through the doors. Then with nothing better to do for himself, he followed.

Which was aberrant behavior for someone who didn't care about anybody.


	3. Chapter 3

Lightening in the Shadows

Chapter Three

_Impressions_

"I don't know anything about war." Shikamaru admitted, shrugging. "I just know my dad does it."

"Did you know that you'll do it?" Kakashi asked him simply.

"Didn't know that."

They were rolled over in a patch of grass, on the fluffiest top of a hillside. Supposedly doing lessons that would better Shikamaru's focus, as a consequence of the last mission. But instead taking an agreed upon, permanent sort of break.

Kakashi sighed and shut his eyes against the sheen of sunlight. "I hated war theory when I was younger."

"War has its own theory?"

Kakashi blinked his gaze back open to accentuate his surprise. "Well yeah." He paused, and then said in unthinking rudeness, "Aren't you Shikaku's son?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Shikamaru asked him, unsure he'd just been questioned as the offspring of a genius.

Kakashi leapt for recovery. "Oh not that you're stupid." He hated himself for trying. "Anyway, are you hungry?"

"Are you buying?"

"S-sure."

"Then yes, starving actually." Shikamaru staggered to his feet, emitting a yawn. "And don't doubt my mental capacity. I'm just surprised that people actually need a whole new _theory _to deal with war." He trotted down the slip of grass as Kakashi levered up to his feet again. "It's kind of straight forward."

Scoffing, Kakashi pursued him down to the inner village.

The streets hummed with people, all preoccupied with ticking things from their to-do lists.

Kakashi and his student pulled up outside the ramen shop as it came past them. But the seats appeared taken. Shikamaru paused to inspect the occupants for a moment, without their noticing.

"One day, I'm gonna be Hokage!" Naruto's eager little voice was announcing from behind the white curtain hanging. Iruka's polite laughter fluttered up after it.

"Sure, Naruto. I know you will." He told the Genin. Well they'd gotten closer quite quickly.

Kakashi shrugged when Shikamaru's expectant gaze found his own. They opted against intruding.

The ice cream place was always open.

Kakashi and Shikamaru drifted over there through the busy pace of the street. They were limited for choice as Kakashi's empty wallet revealed itself.

"Great, well here's to sharing a cone." Shikamaru complained.

Kakashi laughed, thought about it, and then shook his head. "That's okay! You can have it." But he'd thought about it, and lingered before passing the cone over whole heartedly. Why the hell had he even thought about it?

Kakashi cleared his throat in an effort to dispel the disturbing image that had slipped into his mental stream. Of course they couldn't…share a cone. Society considered that unconventional, didn't it? Distracting himself inside always played out horribly on the outside, which Kakashi proved by saying, "Do you think society looks down on teacher-student relationships?"

Shikamaru's eyes darted up worriedly.

The things he hadn't intended to say, especially in the implicit manner in which he'd said them, rung out in the air between them.

Shikamaru hesitated on his answer for a second. "What, you mean…"

"I mean nothing." Kakashi had never been so defeated by words before. He'd never known them to be so out of reach. "I just…meant…Look. Asuma's coming over." The relief flood color into his cheeks again. "Hi Asuma!"

Asuma had sight set on Kakashi as he swept up beside them. "Hey, you're here Kakashi. What's up? We need you at headquarters." His eyes flit down to Shikamaru. "Heya kid."

Shikamaru waved agreeably. He didn't really know any of the teachers yet; no one had been assigned their Jonins.

Asuma's attention returned to Kakashi. "What are you doing?"

"Just, helping out." Kakashi revealed. "Teaching this kid stuff." He corrected himself quickly at the unimpressed stare he was receiving. "Shikamaru. Just teaching Shikamaru stuff. He's on detention."

"I am not on detention." Shikamaru defended himself rapidly, shooting a look to Asuma. "You know my dad, right? Don't tell my dad that."

Asuma laughed, a chest-deep sound. "Yeah, I know Shikaku. Talks us the hell in about you, actually. Hang up, maybe you could help us better than Kakashi here."

Kakashi stiffened at the joke. "Hmm."

"Yeah, we've got a few unsolved problems with the plans we're finalizing." Asuma turned his plea on Kakashi again. "We could seriously use your back up, man. Most of us aren't really so much planners as fighters, ya know?"

Kakashi shrugged. "Lead the way."

"So I'm off early?" Shikamaru recognized his opportunity instantly. "Great, then. Seeya later."

"Oh no," Kakashi said easily, snatching him back at the sleeve. "You're with me still. Consider this training."

"You're going back to headquarters, aren't you?" Shikamaru asked, throwing anxious eyes back at Kakashi. "What if my dad's at headquarters?"

Asuma barked a laugh again, stamping a hand down on Shikamaru's head. "I like this kid. He really is smart. I think I'll make a proposal for him in the Genin to Jonin assigning event thingy…"

"No you can't." Kakashi's mouth chose the sentences. He didn't really expect the stares that followed. Well, in a sense, he supposed that was an unusual objection to make. "What I mean is…Shikamaru needs…"

"Can we talk this through later? We seriously need those plans finalized." Asuma spared him explaining, turning to Shikamaru. "Your dad's not in. He's out on an A-Rank. Okay with you?"

"So we have five minutes then." Shikamaru told Kakashi, smiling falsely. "I hope you're as good as they say you are."

Kakashi smiled back genuinely. "Oh yeah, no problem. I can do this."

{L*I*T*S}

"I can't do this." Kakashi flipped the page back into Asuma's hand. "Sorry. That's a mind eff."

"Well what am I supposed to do with it?" Asuma asked him, scanning his expression carefully. "Now hang on a second…are you just being lazy?"

Shikamaru was brushing over a pile of Konoha headbands that hadn't been handed out that year, located on the far end of the Jonin Headquarter room. He seemed out of earshot.

"I'm busy teaching right now." Kakashi complained, resigning to the fact that the issue was solvable. "This is complicated stuff. Could take me hours."

Asuma rolled his eyes at the confession. "Laziness. Just like I thought. Well I can teach Shikamaru for a couple of hours. Sound better to you?"

Kakashi's skin prickled. "No thank you." He gushed the words on one breath, just as taken aback by his bluntness as Asuma was.

Asuma frowned a little concernedly for his fellow Jonin. "Are you…okay, man?"

Kakashi shrugged, taking the paper from his hands again. "Well, I mean, I can't dump all my problems on you. That would be unprofessional. If you'll excuse me."

"I need that back pretty…"

"Soon. I know. Hang on a moment…" Kakashi slapped the page down on an open desk. He scrutinized it with half his interest devoted elsewhere. Was he acting suspiciously? He suspected himself, come to think of it. Even he didn't trust himself.

"What ya doing?"

"Ah," Kakashi jumped a fraction as Shikamaru materialized beside him. His surveying eyes had located the document sheet Kakashi was scanning furiously.

Shikamaru's careful gaze wavered up to his teacher's. "Need war theory?"

"Oh very cute." Kakashi regained himself just barely, feigning maturity again. He suddenly had the impulse to pass the page to Shikamaru. "There ya go. You give it a whirl."

Shikamaru started into the page for a moment. Kakashi had hoped it would intimidate him, just a little. Leave him confused even. Uncertain.

By the time Shikamaru's bored expression had lifted from the page again, he would have settled for interested. "This is what my dad does."

"In his sleep." Asuma muttered from behind them, to Kakashi's begrudging stare.

"I can do this. Give me a piece of paper."

"It's…not a maths sum." Kakashi said on a breath of uneasy laughter, watching in complete helplessness as Asuma sourced a pencil and pad for the Genin boy.

"Here." Asuma granted him.

Shikamaru plunked himself down in a Jonin reserved chair and began to scratch at the paperwork, glancing back at the document every so often.

"He can't do that." Kakashi launched general protest, leaning over to check if the plan answers looked effective. "We can't run on a Genin's whims."

"Well we run on your whims." Asuma said, rolling his away off good naturedly.

Kakashi stared back in acid surprise. Then he flicked his attention back to the blank page Shikamaru was rapidly transforming into a battle plan. "This is flawed. You can't run that many men on the frontlines…"

"You're not. Read the key, moron." Shikamaru patronized, which made Kakashi blink back his amazement.

"Okay, fine. Well I'd like to edit that thing when you're done, alright?"

"It's done, alright?" Shikamaru waved the page at him. "It'll hold. That's all I can say."

"But…this here isn't…perfectly structured. Like mine usually are." Kakashi mentioned, pointing out a useless observation in some part of the plan layout to Asuma.

Asuma shrugged at him. "Personally, I like his way better. Reminds me of Shikaku's. That makes me feel safe inside."

"Oh. Well what do you know…" Kakashi let his feelings of discordance trail away. "Guess that's…our plan then."

Shikamaru smiled a little. "Who's the teacher here, Kakashi..?"

"Don't get cocky." Kakashi retorted in unexplainable fondness for the jab. "I am. And you should be so lucky."

They walked from the doors with a wave to Asuma. The plan wasn't large scale war, allowing Shikamaru's addition to suffice effectively.

Kakashi smirked to the Genin. "You're learning from Shikaku, I take it?"

"_All_ the time." Shikamaru said, like that was terrible. "He never stops teaching me things. I don't want to know how to make battle plans work in my sleep."

Kakashi laughed sincerely at the implication. "You'd rather be doing what exactly?"

"Nothing."

"I can relate to that. Doing nothing is a lot of fun."

Shikamaru snorted. "That and sleeping."

Kakashi felt the same way. "So you enjoyed the first part of today's lesson, then?"

Shikamaru let a small smile slip, nodding. "Yeah, exactly. Hey, wanna open training slot again tomorrow? You could teach me…how to stay focused some more."

The idea appealed to Kakashi. He bobbed his head approvingly. "I'll put the suggestion in with Iruka."

"Cos it's a free hour for yourself, as well." Shikamaru worked out perceptively. "Cunning."

Kakashi decided to let that stand as his reasoning. Sure, for the free hour. Whatever kept him innocent; the helpful teacher he tried so hard to be.

"By the way, how was the ice cream?"

"Great." Shikamaru said, a sketch of appreciation mingled in.

"Well it must have been. You've got some on your shirt still…" Kakashi stalled to wipe the smudge off. It didn't come away.

"Another mark from you to me." Shikamaru said, shrugging it off.

Kakashi's eyes whipped up at him. "Excuse me?"

"The headband." Shikamaru reminded him, tugging at the blue headband Kakashi had suggested he strap to his shirt. "This shirt is just full of our friendship, isn't it?"

Kakashi let the words settle in his mind before smiling. "Yeah, totally."

Friendship, was the word that struck him.

{L*I*T*S}

_Author's Note:_

_Back off, Asuma. Lol._

_Okay guys, sorry for a late update. I tend to forget if I don't have a lot of readers. And if anyone is reading this story still, kindly leave reviews or favorites or something. Otherwise I have no idea. ^^;_

_But if you are, thanks for the support of this very marginalized couple. I appreciate it. ^^_

_~AfterForev3R _


	4. Chapter 4

Lightening in the Shadows

Chapter Four

_The Team_

Kakashi hovered around Iruka's desk, innocently observing him. He leant over to ask, "Whatcha doing?" Although he knew precisely what the school teacher was doing.

"I'm assigning Genins to Jonins." Iruka informed him simply, keeping his focus on his page. "The Third asked me to just base it on the students' personalities, since I've known them for longest."

"And I know the Jonins!" Kakashi brought up the sentence he'd been edging to slip into the conversation. "How useful of me. I can help you allocate."

"Thank you." Iruka smiled up positively at helpful thought. "I guess you do spend more time with them."

Iruka's naivety rewarded him yet again. Kakashi had asked himself the same conflicting question several times since deciding to manipulate Shikamaru into his team that year: why are you going out of your way for this boy?

Well life was boring. Years were repetitive. And in all honesty, Asuma had made this something of a challenge to him. Those were the closest things to excuses his mind had generated.

Kakashi feigned a smile when Iruka looked to him. "Okay. Let's start with the boys. Who do you think Neji will suit? I gauge him as being somewhere between Kurenai and Gai?"

Oh Neji was a diligent student. He'd probably push his teacher more than the other way round. Kakashi smiled at the opportunity, assigning the punishment of responsibility to his rival with pleasure. "Screw Gai over."

"What was that?"

"Oh, um….I said, Gai would really like his fighting style."

"Close range. Yeah, that's a good point." Iruka scratched that down onto the white paper. "Alright. What're your thoughts for Choji? I was thinking, maybe between…"

"Oh Asuma should get him." Kakashi followed his decided strategy. He was going to fill up all Asuma's open seats in one run. Whoever they may be. Then he was going to fill everyone else's seats until Shikamaru could only-completely devoid of suspicion- be assigned to his team. "They're…totally alike." For some reason.

"Are you sure?"

"Oh yeah. Also, they both have fitting personalities." Somehow.

Iruka nodded, doubtfully tapping his pen on the desk. "I'll think about it."

"What about Kiba?"

The discussion continued, with Kakashi influencing its every outcome. He managed to steer everybody into some other teacher's duty. Until he knew the options were thinning.

"Great, well then we only have three left Kakashi."

"Which three are those?" Kakashi asked, quite confident he knew at least one name that was going to reveal itself.

"Well, they'll compose your team by the looks of it…Shikamaru is one…"

Kakashi beamed at the prospect, as though it had genuinely caught him off guard. He acted natural. "Oh. That's okay."

"And then…Sasuke and Naruto will be the other two…"

Kakashi's face dropped. The last two had surprised him. "Come again?"

"I said…they're your new team, Kakashi. Shikamaru, Sasuke and Naruto. Team 7."

Kakashi's stomach dropped. What important element had he failed to recognize in this plan's dynamics?

"You're giving me two fireballs and a passivist?" Kakashi demanded, borderline sarcastic. "Are you crazy?"

"But, you were the one who said…"

"I know what I said, Iruka. I know what I said."

"We can redo everything, but then we'd have to shuffle…"

"It's okay. Iruka." Better that than risk it. What was so undoable about his new team, anyway? Naruto's fire, pulling them in one direction. Sasuke's charge throwing them in another. And lastly Shikamaru, holding them back from explosive confrontational styles of fighting altogether. "This is fine. Team 7 will work out perfectly."

{L*I*T*S}

'I hate things.' Kakashi had zoned out for the duration of Sasuke's introduction, but that main focus point had prevailed. "Alright. We'll…work on that. Shikamaru? How about you?"

"Hey, stop skipping me!" Naruto protested, raising his hand up. "I was next, ya know!"

"I know." Kakashi quickly redirected his response. "Just…go then."

'I want to be Hokage.' Again, Kakashi fell asleep mentally until it was over. He bobbed his head, certain he'd grasped the essence of the introduction. "That is wonderful. Simply inspiring. Shikamaru?" Kakashi was actually hoping for something this time. Maybe an insight. Were there aspects to Shikamaru's complex personality he hadn't revealed yet, that he'd be revealing now?

Shikamaru had his folded arms propped up on his knees, and his chin in between them. "Hi. I'm Shikamaru. I like sleeping, but I'll think if I have to." He trailed off a little disinterestedly, flicking his eyes away as the group stared at him. "That's it. Sums me up."

"Oh come on now…" Kakashi probed, receiving a curious glance from Naruto. "Elaborate a little. I know there's more to you than…"

"Not really." Shikamaru cut him off, shrugging. "I'm sedentary."

Kakashi's mind hiccupped on the definition of the word. "You mean..?"

"I'm characterized by much sitting, and little exercise." Shikamaru frowned a little. "I'm sedentary. I just said that."

"Oh, yeah. Didn't hear you." Kakashi recovered embarrassedly, inwardly tasking himself with looking the word up later.

"He knows big words." Naruto whispered over to Sasuke, before realizing they weren't friends and snapping his gaze away. "Hmph."

"Alright team. I'm Kakashi." He couldn't help but overanalyze his members as he stood up before them. Sasuke looked angry, permanently. Naruto was fidgety. But Shikamaru appeared plaintively zoned out. "And I have your first mission for you."

{L*I*T*S}

It was their first test, assigned to them by their first ever Jonin sensei.

Naruto's heart raced, as he dived into the open. "Dattebayo! Where'd he go? I'm gonna get both bells."

"Shut up," Sasuke muttered, mentally mapping out how he planned to retrieve one of the target bells from Kakashi's belt before the other two did. "I'm trying to think here."

"You do realize what this is, don't you?" Shikamaru asked, striding over to them. Through the expressions he was granted, he gathered that they didn't. He breathed a sigh. "This is just a simple team work test. He wants us to try work together to get the bells from him."

"That's stupid," Sasuke snubbed the idea simply, turning away from the team. "You're both wasting my time. Later." Sasuke flit away, in one rapid bound.

Naruto's gaze bore out after him. "Sasuke!" He gaped at being dismissed, then enigmatically switched to a smile and turned it on Shikamaru. "Alright, team. Let's just get the bells, follow me!"

Shikamaru made a small coughing noise as Naruto prepared to run. The bright eyes of the village jinchuuriki dragged over to him. "Is…there a problem?"

"I don't actually suggest we run this one," Shikamaru admitted. "Kind of because, I already worked out a way of doing this that takes much less movement."

"Oh yeah?" The concept actually managed to deplete Naruto's overflowing enthusiasm. He hesitated. "What're we gonna do to…avoid movement?"

"Well, it all relies on Sasuke." Shikamaru shrugged as though it were obvious. "His exertion can lead to our advantage if we time this right."

Naruto looked back helplessly, worrying Shikamaru.

"What?"

"I'm very confused about my role in the team."

"Just relax. We're gonna pass this easily. You forget, it's not about the bells."

"Now I'm real confused!" Naruto edged to burst into running. Sasuke was having all the fun. "Shouldn't we…try to fetch the bells?"

Shikamaru shrugged again. "If that's what you want. But how troublesome." He glanced out to where Kakashi had gotten to.

"Agh!" In the distance, Sasuke landed eleven kunais in a tree Kakashi had just been leaning on. None of them landed on the target Jonin. "Dammit!"

"How do you know this is about teamwork and not about bells, Shik…Shika…"

"Shikamaru. And because I know his mind." Shikamaru switched his gaze to Kakashi. The Jonin was moving predictably out on the field. "It's basic observation. Stick with me, Naruto. I've got six plans for acing this."

"Can…we pick the one with…running in it?"

A thin smile met Shikamaru's lips when he gazed back at Naruto's pleading face. He decided to make an exception. "Alright. Plan six it is."

The complexities of the plan escaped Naruto. So Shikamaru just waved him in the general direction he needed to go in. "So just remember two very critical points for me then. First, you pretend to be chasing Sasuke to get to Kakashi. Next, you run forwards towards those trees, over there. Got it?"

"I am chasing Sasuke to get to Kakashi," Naruto pointed out.

"That's the spirit. Now go." Shikamaru watched him zip off in ecstatic zeal. There was no end to his infinite energy as he disappeared into the far reaches of the field.

Shikamaru looked to the tree area he had instructed Naruto to steer Kakashi towards. He knew the only logical way for Kakashi to avoid the entrapment situation he'd be sure Naruto was chasing him towards, would be to return here, to the starting point. Three logs were stuck into the ground behind Shikamaru, at the point Kakashi had given the get-go from. He sighed and leant himself against one, angling so that Kakashi's watching gaze wouldn't encounter him. Kakashi was predictable. All things were, if he thought about it.

Across from him, on the field, Kakashi weaved in and around Sasuke and Naruto, toying with them. Sasuke was seething as he tried to calculate Kakashi's movements. He was quick to spot an opening and adept at getting to it. But Kakashi had been a ninja for a lot longer than he had and thwarted his efforts.

"Sorry kid," Kakashi began his sentence, trailing off as he met Narutos' fervent gaze. He jumped a necessary step backwards, evading a near striking impact from Naruto. "Geez, kid. What's with you?"

The clockwork had initiated in Naruto's mind. He trusted this plan of Shikamaru's, for some reason. Probably because Shikamaru had impressed him with big words earlier. Must be smart then, Naruto reckoned, pouncing in towards Kakashi and forcing him to veer for the specified tree location.

As expected, Sasuke fell into immediate pursuit and Naruto genuinely appeared to contend with him to reach the Jonin.

Kakashi had hoped Shikamaru would make an entrance, but he hadn't yet. Knowing his personality, he probably never intended to.

Kakashi focused on Sasuke and Naruto as they gained on him, with Naruto forcing Kakashi back into the line of the target trees every time he edged off route.

Shikamaru's eyes tracked them from his stationary position behind the erected log points. He pet his stomach, pondering how the wound from days before had healed so quickly. He recalled Kakashi's assistance in the matter.

How strange, to think they hadn't known each other very well just days ago.

Shikamaru glimpsed out around the log as much as he dared, eyeing Kakashi falling for the strategy he'd had imposed on him. And yet now they knew each other well enough for Shikamaru to predict where his teacher planned to steer any test he set them.

Kakashi came bounding up for the starting point he was expected at after a brief genjutsu log display that impressed Naruto and deeply infuriated Sasuke's sense of direction.

Shikamaru took the right moment as it presented itself. Kakashi struck round the front of the first log, where Shikamaru had stood up waiting. Somehow Kakashi hadn't suspected any Nara plan to be so straight forward. He was waiting for something much more intricate to surprise him.

Shikamaru's lazy plan caught him off guard, and he stumbled pitifully as Shikamaru lunged from beside him. The proximity was near unavoidable.

Kakashi threw himself backwards as Shikamaru came forwards.

They collided on the ground, dazed and confused. Instinctively, Kakashi had made to catch the falling student and they'd hit the ground with his protective efforts effectively in play.

"Ow, Lord above…" Kakashi absorbed all of the shock of impact.

An unimpressed Shikamaru was lying on his stomach, blinking back at him. "Well what kind of a dodge was _that_?"

"Well what kind of an attack was that! Did you cheat on all Iruka's tests too?"

Shikamaru pouted, forgetting he was lounging on Kakashi.

Kakashi hadn't forgotten. Couldn't say he minded though. He smiled forgivingly. "Somehow I expected a Nara to be more…definite about their plan of action. And more involved."

"You mean you thought I'd run around chasing you?"

"Kind of…"

"I'm sedentary!"

"Found you, Dattebayo!" Naruto's voice carried out as he advanced on his teacher.

"Oh come on." Sasuke moaned when he caught sight of Shikamaru appearing to have grounded Kakashi.

Kakashi slid out from under his student quickly, regretting those other two additions to his team more than ever for a moment there. He ninja dashed himself up onto one of the upright logs he'd been ambushed from."Alright team. Someone's still gotta get these bells from me."

"You mean, these bells?" Shikamaru asked politely.

Kakashi's hand flew to his side and met with cold absence.

Shikamaru produced the bells from his own pocket, scoffing. He clipped one between his fingers and tossed the second one to Naruto. "Yeah, I thought as much. Thanks for the distraction there, team."

Sasuke looked dumbfounded that Shikamaru's statement seemed to incorporate him.

Kakashi watched Naruto throw an arm around Sasuke's neck, beaming his signature smile. "You didn't even realize you were with us on this one, did you?"

"You were a distraction. Made Kakashi think Naruto was only focusing on you, not leading Kakashi to where I could get him. Sorry." Shikamaru shrugged. At Sasuke's bitter expression, he ventured further with a peace offering of the second bell. "You want it?"

"You all…pass." Kakashi said from above them dazedly. Three attentive gazes met his confused face. How'd they know that to implement teamwork was the entire point?

The Team was smart this year.

{L*I*T*S}

Sasuke is very noisy in my story. Lol, ah well. I can't write about him as a character if he doesn't yap a little!

I am so tempted to rush things between Kakashi and Shika…but that's not my style, lol.

I'm sorry if I confused anyone with those three logs in the ground…that's where Naruto gets tied up and Sasuke generously offers him his food? Yeah you know where I meant. XD

P.S. I'm very busy with exams at the moment. So updates may be delayed a little; plus I'm running two stories at once here. Lol, silly me…~

By the way, I've run out of time to edit these things…my apologies if my sentences ever confuse you or make you double-take. Lolz.

~AfterForev3R


	5. Chapter 5

Lightening in the Shadows

Chapter Five

_The Collapse_

"I…don't get it," Shikamaru admitted kindly, understating his confusion to make Kakashi feel better. "What is it? What am I looking at?"

"The scarecrow badge!"

"Yes. But what about it?"

"Kakashi means scarecrow!"

"So…you want me to carry you around on my shirt?"

"You wanna?" Kakashi asked hopefully, bending down to pin it in place. "Well thank you."  
Shikamaru watched his shirt ruffle up and then fall down marked by the badge after. He frowned cynically. "And, what am I supposed to tell Team 7 this means exactly."

Kakashi waved the setback off. "Please. This isn't about Team 7. This is just between me and you."

Shikamaru suppressed a smile at that. "Yeah…You just like adding stuff to my shirt, for some reason."

"For no reason," Kakashi said lamely, catching himself before his next breath. "Anyway, Shikamaru…"

He stooped on one knee to meet eye level with the boy. A wave of what felt like maturity coursed through his words for a moment. "Please be careful."

"What's that mean?" Shikamaru asked with a bemused smile.

"Stay awake," Kakashi elaborated, searching himself for what he was trying to convey. "This is your Chuunin exam, after all. It's pretty important that you achieve here."

"Since when do you care about my future?"

Since I'm in it.

"Uh…" Kakashi drove the mindless thought from his tongue, returning with, "Since you're part of my team."

"Oh," Shikamaru said acceptingly. Made sense since failing students would taint his good name as a teacher. Shikamaru glanced at the small bronze scarecrow hanging onto his shirt with silent tenacity. "Alright then."

"Wish me luck!" Naruto screamed from a distance, spotting the two of them up ahead. He grinned at Kakashi before bolting blindly into line. Sasuke was already in the queue, waiting to be crashed into.

"Watch it, Naruto!"

Shikamaru was halfway gone when Kakashi looked back again. It was hard to fathom how someone so grown up still had more growing up to do.

He watched his students adhere to procedures and enter the Chuunin exam gates one after the other. He bit his lip and wished them luck every step of the way.

{L*I*T*S}

It had happened too suddenly.

None of the Jonins had known how to react in time. They radiated out in all directions trying to locate anyone still trapped in the building.

Naruto, Kakashi thought as he spotted the blur of orange bound out beside Gai's team. He had already seen Sasuke's effortless escape of the crumbling Chuunin grounds. The most significant person only struck Kakashi at the last minute.

"Where's Shika?" Kakashi threw the question out at Asuma, who had been fighting hard to support those rushing in and out of the building with rescued civilians.

Asuma shrugged, nudging Neji to stay on his feet as he came tearing past the gate with notable injuries. "I don't know," he admitted rapidly, passing the Genin on to Gai as he returned. "Where's Shikaku, for that matter?"

Shikaku. Of course.

Kakashi's eyes flicked up into the distant judging quarters. They had collapsed now, with Shikaku either on the inside or the outside of them. But Shikamaru guaranteed to have gone to him either way.

"I need to get closer," Kakashi looked to Gai for support. "Take care of my team."

Gai affirmed it for him and he struck out. The building wouldn't hold itself for much longer. He managed to cover the distance up to the higher grounds of the judges' stands in a matter of minutes.

Fire raged below wreathes of smoke along the room's every surface. Kakashi spluttered on the smoldering ashes and took breath in on lungs like sandpaper. He saw no signs of any Naras.

Kakashi couldn't fathom the possibilities of where Shikamaru could have gotten to. Konoha was too vast to map out and Shikamaru to complex to predict.

Kakashi leapt back a step to avoid falling debris. The crashing impact of steel sheeting thundered across the empty passage. He was gradually going to be isolated from the other Jonin.

Kakashi veered down a route he suspected Shikaku might have taken before that could happen. It led out into the openness of the Village.

He stumbled to a halt when he realized the predicament before him. Several Jonins had already gathered on the steps of the path's exit. He was being barred by his own allies as the fight to reach fresh air pressed on.

By the time Kakashi had flown back down his original route and broken out into the Chuunin hall again, the number of Jonins present had diminished. There was almost nobody left needing to be saved.

Kakashi felt his heartbeat rack at his chest as he steadily approached Asuma before he could follow the crowd as the hall cleared out of Jonins.

"Find him?" He asked weakly, throat still scratchy from the smoke he'd inhaled.

Asuma shook his head wordlessly. He didn't want to conjure up excuses for how anyone who hadn't been seen escaping could have survived. So he took Kakashi at the sleeve and said something that was true. "Come Kakashi. We have to go."

The smoke was rising. Like black dragons hurdling for the sky.

Kakashi found it hard to reason with himself on why he should take Asuma up on that suggestion. Shikamaru had not been confirmed clear of the building. Team 7 was not out of the woods yet.

"I can't," Kakashi said absently, straining to look back through the dense palls of smoke. "Without all of them."

Asuma understood immediately. He bobbed his head in acceptance. "Alright Kakashi. Just make sure you get out within the next ten minutes."

"I'll try."

"With or without him." The distinct severity in Asuma's tone proved he understood when to quit.

Kakashi didn't dispute the matter. Though his entire body rung with argument. "Right."

They parted without another word.

{L*I*T*S}

Kakashi pulled up at the back of the building. The last stretch of rooms on the final level left to cover that wasn't completely consumed by broken parts of the building.

He smacked at doors as he passed them. He had no idea what might bring Shikamaru back here, he'd had no reason to come in this far.

This location had been where he was supposed to attend the final signing. The point where he would have confirmed whether Shikamaru, and all of Team 7, passed to become Chuunins or not.

The sense of that filled him with a poignant reminder. Of what he could have been doing in these rooms instead of dreading the worst for his favorite student.

Kakashi was so drown by thoughts that he only caught sight of the glinting object on the ground on coming back around from scoping the floor level out. The prominent gleam of a small bronze scarecrow. Kakashi bent to retrieve it, weighed down by his apprehension.

He could feel his pulse springing to life throughout his hands as they collected the object.

Kakashi stood up straight and swerved round the corner he was right ahead of. It took him out into the passage way instantly, where he was shocked to awareness again by the collision of another body.

"Ow."

"Shikamaru," Kakashi blurted out in a breath of more astonishment than relief.

Both of them looked annoyed as they opened their mouths and chorused each other's words.

"I was looking for you."

{L*I*T*S}

Author's Note:

You know I love writing fluff the bestest. =P

Hope you like it too.~

~AfterForev3R

By the way…if you haven't checked me out on deviantart yet, there's a picture for this story up on my profile. ( )

Except Shikamaru's 16 in it. I was hoping for this story to wander off into Shippuden at some point because there's only so much they can do while Shika's 13. ^^;

Although I'll miss his littleness!~


	6. Chapter 6

Lightening in the Shadows

Chapter Six

_Pressure_

An angry bark of breaking building erupted on their far side. Kakashi kept tight to Shikamaru's left, aware of the side the building was collapsing from. And being of the Nara Clan, Shikamaru's mind didn't miss the protective gesture.

They pursued the exit through the exam hall, where the fallen door gave a reluctant groan upon being forced open.

Once outside, Kakashi took charge unthinkingly. He spotted the path he wanted to take in leading Shikamaru to the other civilians. He called down to him as he ran. "Shika, I need you to help group the others. There's panic in there. Help some of the Chuunins out, you hear me?"

"Kakashi," Shikamaru spoke up quickly, "Where's my dad?"

The words stung Kakashi when he realized he couldn't answer the question. He angled his gaze astray. "Iruka will need assistance. Stand by Iruka, okay?"

"Kakashi!" Asuma's voice drew up as faint from amid the din of a burning city.

Kakashi screeched to a halt and threw a look back at him. "Asuma?"

Shikamaru kept quiet, permitting the Jonin's matter of importance to precede his own dilemma.

"Kakashi…" Asuma ran up, flicking a glance down to the Genin. "You found him. That's great. Kakashi…where's Shikaku?"

The only question he didn't need presented itself and Kakashi stiffened. When Shikamaru's pressing gaze had grown hot with intensity, he cleared his throat and dropped his head a little towards the ground. "Yeah. I don't know."  
He didn't risk letting his eyes catch the desperate look that filled his student's face at the confession.

A groan left Asuma's chest as he stared back at Kakashi. "Are you serious? No one's seen the man. We need him to finalize the frontline plans for us. Kakashi, this is desperate."

"I know. Just let me get Shikamaru to safety, and I'll meet you back at headquarters."

The same thought entered both Jonins' minds. Kakashi didn't welcome it even after Asuma suggested it out loud.

"Bring him."

Shikamaru looked up in genuine surprise.

"What?" Kakashi had to confirm they were on the same page.

"Bring Shikamaru. He can help us, I've seen his work. He's the next best thing," Asuma smiled in relief, dropping a proud glance to the Genin. "Thank God for Shikaku's DNA."

Shikamaru stole a worried look at Kakashi as his Jonin tried to process the two possible outcomes of the situation.

One, it all went perfectly. The Jonins were the strongest force to protect Shikamaru. Also, Kakashi could stay by his side this way.

But two, the enemy struck the village's strongest force, and Shikamaru was endangered.

Kakashi finally bobbed his head at the suggestion. Parting felt like the harder option. He opted to guard Shikamaru on a personal level. "Alright fine. He can help us."

The thought of so much pressure didn't appeal to Shikamaru, but he had little choice if the Jonin needed him.

Shikamaru chewed on his lip for the entire race back to the Jonin's headquarters.

Some of them looked twice before realizing Shikaku wasn't the one casting the shadow that entered. Shikamaru was.

Gai threw an accusing finger at the student. "Kakashi, no! This one belongs behind safety lines!" He gripped at Shikamaru's arm. "Come small innocent youth, let me escort you…"

Kakashi had never hated his rival more. He pulled him off at the hair. "That's my student. And you better stay behind the safety line yourself there, friend."

"Shikamaru, over here," Asuma's call stole Shikamaru away from Kakashi.

He watched him go a little sorely, forgetting to free Gai as immediately as he should have.

"Ow! Kakashi, I surrender, you win this one! Ow!"

Shikamaru worked swiftly and diligently, stationed at the same desk he had sat at the last time he had been here in that sort of child-like instinct to find familiarity when times got confusing. At first some of the Jonins looked averse to taking a child's advice in regard to some of their questions. But after a few minutes of hearing him place suggestions with Asuma, they began to feel like some part of Shikaku was in the room with them and they took his word for it.

"Don't drop your guard there," Shikamaru added, marking a circle on the map layout with a red pen. "Sure that's where they're coming from next."

Asuma nodded, lifting his head towards some of the other Jonins. "Get to your stations."

Kakashi had freed Gai unwillingly, now leant against the door as though there was no sound of a war raging on beyond it. Just Shikamaru's small voice filling the atmosphere. A small voice lost to the loud clamor of the grownups.

Kakashi could see the strain on his student's face and wished he could salve it somehow. Not having come up with anything, Kakashi took himself over to Shikamaru's desk to try help him anyway.

"That's right," Kakashi affirmed from across his shoulder, as Shikamaru's handwriting revealed his doubtfulness on one of the borderline strategies. "That'll work. Shikaku does that."

"Shikaku does a lot of things," Shikamaru murmured tensely, glimpsing at all four corners of the map. "I can't consider everything. It's a lot of detail."

Another Jonin brushed in front of Kakashi before he could tell his student anything that might settle him. "What about here? What's the plan here?"

"Uh…"

"And I need these co-ordinates confirmed. Can I have these confirmed, just quickly…"

"I just…"

"Don't swarm him," Kakashi ordered without meaning to raise his voice, pushing for a middle path between them. "God. He is not Shikaku. Slow it down."

"Sorry," one of the guys realized quickly, forgetting himself under the pressures of war. "This is crucial though."

"He'll get to you," Kakashi said, stepping mindlessly in front of Shikamaru so that word would have to be passed through him first. "Just one at a time."

Shikamaru took a breath while Kakashi's figure blocked him from sight. He tried focusing down at the map again, but the distractions were everywhere. He eventually managed to cover the majority of problems, looking like he'd come off a rollercoaster when he was through with the desk.

Kakashi held him steady as he passed by him. "You okay there?"

Something unhappy touched his eyes. Kakashi couldn't place it properly.

"Shikamaru?"

"Just give me a second," Shikamaru snapped, walking away from him in quick steps.

Kakashi found that aberrant behavior for him. He was never usually so distant with his teacher.

Asuma and the others had dispersed throughout the village already. Loud booms went off in some of the target areas drawn out on the map sheet.

Kakashi got caught up following one of his own orders, which he managed to have scheduled inside of HQ. He structured the desired work effort together with some of the other Jonins before realizing an entire hour had passed them.

The battle was drawing on outside in Konoha.

Word that Orochimaru had attacked the Hokage and the village was brought to the Jonins in hurried speeches, with snatches of information gathered being added every ten minutes or so.

Kakashi was drowned in the world's problems. Midday had elapsed into nightfall. The sun was leaving them in a diminishing orange glow beneath the skyline.

When Kakashi gained a moment's break, his thoughts came to Shikamaru and he looked around for him.

His student wasn't in the main section of HQ.

Kakashi wandered towards the back of the Jonin quarters in search of him. "Shikamaru?"

He stumbled onto him behind some of the boxes that contained a century's worth of paperwork.

Shikamaru had his head between his arms, appearing to be just lazily seated on the ground against the wall at first glance. But a deeper truth permeated the stillness.

"Hey Shika," Kakashi paused as his student looked up, the faint indication that tears had been either suppressed or just finished with still evident in his eyes.

Kakashi knelt down to him before posing the question. "Hey, what's wrong?" He could have guessed it was the pressure. But he would have been wrong.

Shikamaru concentrated on the wall behind Kakashi as he spoke to him. His voice was surprisingly steady for someone who appeared as though they were about to cry. "Did they find my dad yet, Kakashi?"

Shikaku. Shikaku was still missing.

The concept mounted itself in Kakashi's mind and he berated himself for not realizing the problem sooner. He wanted to lie, but he could never do that to Shikamaru. Shika was too smart. And besides that, Kakashi was a terrible liar.

"We're still looking."

No surprise found Shikamaru's face. It was like he had been dreading it, to the point of anticipating it. He nodded and took a breath in, setting his chin back down on his arms without a word.

Kakashi could sense he wasn't okay with that. It was very perturbing that Shikaku had shown no signs of being alive yet. He seemed the type to at least indicate to his team that he was still operating with them, even elsewhere.

Kakashi stared down into Shikamaru's downtrodden eyes until it hurt to look at him.

He watched Shikamaru lower his face in between his arms and knew that it wasn't helpful for him to just be there pitying him.

Shikamaru felt the warmth of Kakashi's hug tighten round him. He drew his head up slowly from amid Kakashi's arms. The gesture broke the self-reliance he'd been leaning on and he felt tears break when he hadn't meant them too.

Kakashi held him with a sense of urgency, trying to get him past his fears without words. He was always out of words with this kid.

"It's okay," he offered. "Shikaku knows he's needed alive. He knows everything."

Shikamaru felt like a kid when he put it that way. He smiled just barely. "Yeah. Hell, I don't want his job."

The noises outside the building were dying down by the minute. Most of the fighting seemed to have subsided.

Kakashi held onto Shikamaru while they listened to the end of war trailing to its close.

A whole host of Jonins came spilling back through the doors, most of them chorusing loudly.

Kakashi listened from where he sat out of view of them, trying to discern any information on how they'd fared in battle by the sounds they were making.

'The Hokage,' he kept picking up from all of their jumbled sentences. He willed down to his core that nothing bad had happened to their Hokage.

Shikamaru had wiped his face clean of tears by then. "Do you think that's happy shouting?"

"It…doesn't sound happy."

Kakashi rose to his feet, letting Shikamaru go at the last moment. "I'm going to go check, okay?"

"I'll come with you. Maybe my dad's back."

That was exactly why Kakashi hadn't wanted him to go with him. If Shikaku wasn't back, Kakashi wished to be the one to convey the truth to Shikamaru. He didn't need the statement yelled clumsily out from between the riot of angered Jonins.

"Wait here," Kakashi told him firmly, touching both of his arms as he stood up.

"But I wanna see if…"

"Trust me," Kakashi said, "Just wait and I'll come back for you."

Shikamaru didn't look willing. But he complied with debated effort. "Fine."

Kakashi tore into the room of congregated Jonins and felt deafened by the buzz of commotion.

Words of anger and desolation stung the air in all directions.

"What's happened?" Kakashi pried, locating Asuma.

Asuma's entire disposition rung with discord. "Nothing good, Kakashi. War was on the front, and the far end. Damage was major."

"Is Shikaku back yet?"

"No sign of him."

"The Hokage?"

Asuma's eyes looked poignant. "We don't know."

Shikaku was still gone. News like that was terrifying.

If Shikamaru lost Shikaku, what then?

The Hokage was a whole other story.

"Asuma. I'm going to look for Shikaku."

"What for? If you think he's alive, don't you also think he'd come and tell us?"

"You never know with a Nara."

"Huh?"

"They're complicated," Kakashi said as he turned for the door. "Trust me."

Author's note:

The last chapter was a little short…so this one came out sooner. ^^

As always, I'd love your feedback!~


	7. Chapter 7

Lightening in the Shadows

Chapter Seven

_Poison _

Shikamaru got up tentatively from the hard wooden floor he'd been left on. As much as he was sure Kakashi had his reasons for holding him back, he still wanted to grasp the situation for himself.

Shikamaru slid up against the side of door just before falling into sight. The conversation beyond the room he was waiting in had developed into an argument in mere moments.

He couldn't hear Kakashi's voice from among them. He did pick out a name though.

"Shikaku."

Shikamaru held his breath to make out whose voice carried his father's name. It was Asuma.

"No sign of him. I already told you, I think we lost him."

'No you didn't,' Shikamaru thought simply, gaze fetching out of the nearest window. 'You just haven't looked properly.'

He made his way over to the small glass panel and judged its dimensions at a glance. Yeah, he would fit.

{L*I*T*S}

Kakashi tore up another lane, exhausted by the extra maneuvering he had to keep up because of the fallen wreckage. He wondered if the village would ever recover from the attack damage when he looked at the destruction around him.

The spitting hiss of a predator stole his focus and slowed his run. He'd seen them at a distance earlier. Some of the other Jonins had warned him of how big they were up close.

Orochimaru's massive snake summonings were evidently still left to contend with.

Kakashi decided to veer round the snake when he came into range. It wasn't his priority. Shikaku was. He'd just reached the lane that took him away from the snake's direction when something interested him. The snake was so still. So angry-its eyes set to kill, its mouth emitting a feral hiss. But completely motionless otherwise.

Kakashi ventured closer out of curiosity. He couldn't turn away from the aberrant behavior until he knew what the snake was so afraid of.

He realized suddenly that it wasn't afraid. The scene pulled into Kakashi's view as he stole up on the snake's far left. It was trapped in a shadow jutsu.

Kakashi had to refrain from calling out in his excitement. Just a short run away, Shikaku was visible leaning on one knee in his shadow position. His expression was strained. The limp bodies of Inoichi and Chouza, Ino and Choji's fathers, lay drenched in a purple liquid at his side. There seemed to be less of it on Shikaku.

'Poison,' Kakashi guessed, frowning disconcertedly. If the other two were down, then Shikaku was covering for all of them.

Kakashi worked out the hazard of breaking noisily into the snake's sights to save them. Shikaku was having trouble holding it as it was and he doubted the sight of more enemies would calm the snake any.

He needed a plan. Something tactful.

Shikaku looked on the verge of letting the summoning free from his shadow. His eyes were exhausted.

If this was where he'd been caught up the entire time he'd been absent, Kakashi could comprehend why.

Though it was reassuring to know your team would die for you.

Kakashi himself had caught a glimpse of why someone might be driven to do that.

'I'll go in from the left and dive for the front,' Kakashi decided wordlessly. 'That way I can kill it in the first strike.'

{L*I*T*S}

Shikamaru felt a wave of relief and panic pang in his chest. His dad was alive after all, but barely.

"Dad," Shikamaru said absently on an inaudible breath, moving his gaze up to the massive predator he'd encountered. He was crouched a short way from its right side, analyzing its rigidness. Deducing that his dad must have captured it in his shadow.

Shikamaru was going to kill it. He could tell his dad was struggling from a mile away, so anything he did next was going to aim to end things quickly.

He'd break out from the right, he decided. Shikamaru's hand clenched around a kunai handle. And he'd kill it from the front.

{L*I*T*S}

Kakashi went. It was so fast, it was almost careless.

He shred along the shield of trees up until there were none left, breaking on the last second.

The snake's eyes darted from its right to its left in angry confusion. It spat its mouth open in alarm as Kakashi tried to make sense of why it was so distracted by the other side.

He didn't have time to slow his propelled dash as the blurry figure of a young boy rushed towards him. It was all he could do to yell a forlorn warning, "Watch out!"

Behind them, Shikaku's eyes fell and the shadow retreated instantly.

Kakashi and Shikamaru collided, the force of speed knocking the wind from their bodies.

Shikamaru was the smaller half and bounced backwards from the crash. Kakashi felt like he'd been struck by lightning.

They both made angry startled noises, bringing their heads up in time to watch the snake power towards them both.

Shikamaru whipped to one side while eyeing Kakashi's dive for the other. "Kakashi?" He shouldn't have been surprised by now. "What the hell? You should be careful!"

Kakashi's vision was still blotched from the impact. He snatched the kunai he'd dropped ploughing headlong into Shikamaru blindly, calling back, "Um, I'm the adult here!"

"We need a course of action." Shikamaru spoke sensibly as he took in the immense sight of their foe. "Let's divide. It can't speak English, right? Let's use that. Go left!"

"Sure, but…what?" Kakashi felt blindsided to the actual plan as he directed to its first order, landing left while Shikamaru took the right. Something occurred to him as the snake snapped its fangs at either side of itself ineffectually, trying to reach two people at one time. "It can't be both sides at once!"

"I swear I just said that," Shikamaru muttered quietly, angling his jumps to mirror Kakashi's the other way. He relented with, "Yeah, what you said."

Kakashi registered something else as the snake tossed its head back and forth between them, unable to settle on a striking target when they kept themselves in motion. The snake was growing used to their routine leap ins and leap backs. Its eyes began to time them for it.

"Shikamaru," Kakashi took him up on the assumption that the snake couldn't understand their communicating. "Fall out of rhythm."

Shikamaru was still distracted by the wounded sight of his father. He heard Kakashi without acknowledging any of it and was still in the pattern the snake expected when it drove its head towards him.

"Shikamaru!" Kakashi had broken his cycle and gotten between them. He saw the snake's approach and managed a belated defense position.

Shikamaru's voice was the last thing he heard before impact.

{L*I*T*S}

The daylight was piercing.

"I did remember the frontline rule."

"Just checking."

The voice of Shikamaru and his father wafted over to Kakashi as he slid his eyes open against the sheen of light. Shikamaru's expression was the most alert of everyone's.

"He's awake. Kakashi?"

"Hmm?" He'd meant to say yes, but articulation happened to be further away than he'd expected.

Shikamaru broke into smiling. "It's snake venom. I told you to keep left."

"Oh," Kakashi managed the closest thing to a word in reach. He felt the severity of the sunlight place pressure on his eyes and bid them shut again. "You mkay?"

"Yeah. You took the snake down, remember? Drove your kunai into its mouth as it came down. I guess, it was kinda cool…"

Kakashi barely managed a smile, helplessly unaware as to the truthfulness of those final moments. All he remembered was darkness.

Shikamaru filled the silence knowing Kakashi was incapable. "My dad says I should say thank you."

"Tell him welcome."

"No, from my side," Shikamaru was staring right at Kakashi when he opened his eyes again. Shikaku appeared to have left the room in silence, probably an indication that he knew his son well enough to guess he wouldn't want him there for this confession. "I mean I'm saying thank you."

Kakashi didn't veil his amusement, finding the message cryptic as usual. "Are you?"

"Yeah. I swear I just said that." Shikamaru came forwards from the chair he'd been sitting up waiting on. The extent of the medical room made it a short walk. "Kakashi?"

Kakashi tried not to show how much it hurt opening his eyes to look up as expected. "Yeah?"

He was surprised to find how close Shikamaru's face was to his when they finally did draw open. Shikamaru deliberated with his mouth open above Kakashi's, all of his intelligence straining in the back of his mind when it came to these simple words. "Um…"

Thanks for looking out for me? Thanks for looking out for my dad? Thanks for looking out for me when I couldn't find my dad?

"I…"

Must have been the poison warping reality. But Kakashi tipped his mouth up and connected it to Shikamaru's for the briefest second. He pulled away in the ringing silence.

"You dwn't have to say it," he managed through the weight of his venom.

Shikamaru's eyes danced and then steadied, trying to place a feeling that had just washed over his body.

Kakashi felt his thoughts thickening against the light again, forced to pierce his eyes closed. "That bwurns."

Shikamaru drew into reality again, dispelling the odd sensation. "Um, yeah. I'll get that." He rose to tug the curtains closed deep in thought, turning to face his teacher once he'd finished. "Kakashi?"

But he was already asleep, having taken the good thought down with him into dreaming.

{L*I*T*S}

This is late, I agree. Got pretty caught up in life. ^^

Hope it was worth the wait!~

~AfterForev3r!


	8. Chapter 8

Lightning In The Shadows

**Chapter 8**

_Sweet Things_

{L*I*T*S}

Kakashi pushed the door of Ino's florist shop open politely. He dashed the girl behind the desk a warm smile. "Hello, Ino."

"Come for your student?" Ino asked sweetly, leaning her elbows on the counter. "He's in the back. Getting dressed."

He forced a smile even though the words sent streaks of lightning through his mind. "Thanks. That's perfect."

She returned the grin harmlessly. Of course she wouldn't understand what it felt like. He'd realized what had happened here.

Shikaku was still hospitalized, depleted of Chakra, as were Ino and Choji's dads. So being the loyal soldiers of the aftermath wars, each of their wives decided to camp out at the hospital in aid of their husbands for a short time. The display of devotion was wonderful. Except that it meant their children would have their houses all to themselves. The idea of leaving their kids alone perturbed the mothers of Ino-Shika-Cho, compelling them to make the rash decision of letting Shikamaru and Choji board together with Ino in her sweet smelling home. It was to their surprise that Choji insisted they let him stay with his dad at the hospital, turning matters into a private residence of Shikamaru in Ino's house.

So it was just Shikamaru and Ino. Just Ino and Shikamaru. Just a teenage boy and a teenage girl in a house with no parents. Kakashi had to refrain from showing up any earlier than he already did to grab Shikamaru back from her and put him in his team for daily training.

She had so much on him…

"I mean, I did them myself…"

Kakashi had zoned out and into the looping memory of it all as Ino's conversation played on in reality.

"So what do you think, Kakashi?" Ino was asking, holding onto a bouquet of delicate yellow flowers.

"Um, huh?" He realized how rude he appeared, snapping from the trance of envy. He forced his eyes from her face to the flowers, stumbling for what he thought she expected him to say. "Oh, um, sure I'll take one."

"Really?" She sounded very eagerly surprised, so he guessed he'd gone overboard. He would pay tears for his generosity later.

"Sure. That'll be how much of my hard earned money?"

Shikamaru came flying out of the back room just then, his jacket halfway over his netted shirt. He threw stunned eyes at Kakashi. "Oh. You're still here. I thought I was late."

"You are," Kakashi said sweetly, holding onto the money for his apparent purchase until Ino tugged hard enough.

Shikamaru freed a smile, oblivious to their transaction. "I just thought you wouldn't wait, is all."

They stepped outside after a brief exchange of goodbyes with Ino.

Kakashi was now in possession of pale yellow flower he had no interest in. Shikamaru's eyes found it eventually, once they had stepped outdoors into the streaming sunlight.

"What's that?"

"A…" Kakashi's glance wandered down to Shikamaru. He always looked like a human version of Bambi when he was curious. "It's for you." He passed it across to his student impulsively. Not entirely sure why. Only that Shikamaru took it with grace.

"For me?"

"Um, yeah."

"For what?"

For what? Kakashi's own mind demanded dubiously. His mouth recovered for him. "For…your headband. Here." He swiped the blossom back and attached it at Shikamar's shoulder. It was phenomenal how many times he'd made his mark on this t-shirt.

"Wow. Surprise, it goes on my shirt."

"Shut up, at least it's thoughtful…"

"Atchoo!"

Kakashi paused, a grin leaping onto his face. "Aww."

"Argh."

"Sensitive are we?"

"As if. Hey, if I'm late ,and you stuck around for me, aren't you late?"

Kakashi popped his mouth open, reminded of his other two students and how impatient of waiting at the meeting place they probably were by now. "Huh. You are smart."

They raced towards the training grounds, keeping pretty close to one another.

{L*I*T*S}

**THREE YEARS LATER…**

Kakashi was shifting through his thoughts of days gone by when the door suddenly cracked open in front of him.

Shikaku's gaze was always welcoming of him. "Oh, hey, Kakashi. Shikamaru's just getting dressed. He'll be out in a minute."

"Thanks," Kakashi beamed at the words. He accepted the inviting gesture Shikaku made and stepped inside the house.

Shikamaru was likely to be in his room, lazily stirring from sleep even though he'd told his dad he was getting dressed. He didn't mind that he was making Kakashi wait for him. He knew Kakashi wouldn't leave without him.

Kakashi strayed over to Shikamaru's bedroom door while Shikaku drifted off to ask his wife about something. The door was half open, and Kakashi pursed his lips before tapping it aside completely. "I'll bet you're not even…" To his immense surprise, Shikamaru wasn't even present in his bedroom. Interesting. "Up…yet." Kakashi felt the need to confirm it. He made his way over to Shikamaru's sheets and flicked through the bundle. "Ha. Really is up."

He was distracted instantly by a piece of cloth jutting out conspicuously from under the bed. Kakashi stooped low to retrieve it. A smile illuminated his face once he had both hands on the garment. Shikamaru's old shirt. Ice cream stains and all.

Shikamaru strode in just then, halfway through the application of a second shirt. He'd probably gone to find one from amid the clean washing in the laundry, since he didn't seem the type to do anything beforehand.

"Kakashi," he said, as though he were actually surprised to find his teacher shifting through his room. "What're you doing in here? I thought you were waiting outside." When his new shirt was properly covering him, the bandana on the sleeve became noticeable. Shikamaru looked so young when he had that black long sleeve shirt on, and so old when he donned the Chuunin jacket that accompanied it.

Kakashi's delight reflected on his face. "Hey. Shikamaru. When did you grow up again?"

Shikamaru smiled faintly out from under sarcastic eyes. "Gee, I dunno. But it was before you did."

"Oh haha. You should use that wit in battle every so often."

Shikamaru shrugged, reaching to grab the Chuunin jacket he had strewn across his desk chair. Kakashi clamped a hand down softly on it before he'd succeeded. "Go without it today."

"Why?' Shikamaru asked amid a brief gush of laughter.

"Because. You look still look like a kid without it." Kakashi stepped inwards, bringing his mouth down politely onto Shika's before drawing back to speak. "Reminds me of how I fell in love with you, ya know."

Shikamaru let a grin escape him, kissing Kakashi back the minute he was done talking for an even briefer second. "I guess so. Hey, then we don't do work that's reserved for Chuunins today either. Kid's play."

Kakashi snorted, still pleasantly surprised by the straight faced kiss Shikamaru managed to issue him. "Hey, remember when you used to blush when I kissed you?"

Shikamaru nodded, a yawn breaking into his agreement. "Aha." He suddenly noticed something. "Hey, is that my shirt?"

Kakashi found he was the one blushing as he angled nose down at the stained shirt in his hands. "Huh. What do you know."

"You are so obsessed with that thing."

"It was just…in plain sight on the floor. Thought it looked untidy." Kakashi tried placing it down on Shikamaru's dresser where it might belong, but found he was hesitant to let it go. "I mean, it probably needs a wash by now. Or don't you care about it anymore?"

Shikamaru noted the clear wavering in his voice on that last part. He sighed fondly. "Where'd you find it? On my bed?"

"Under it, actually."

"Well it must have fallen, cos I sleep with that shirt."

"You sleep with that…" Kakashi looked like his heart had exploded. Shikamaru's eyes flit left and right in apprehension.

"Um, yeah. I…guess that's…"

Kakashi stole another kiss. A longer one this time. He nearly died throwing himself backwards into the wall as Shikaku unexpectedly stuck his head round the door. "Oh, there you two are! Mom wants to know if you want breakfast."

"Sure," Shikamaru began, at total ease as he passed his gaze to Kakashi's trembling figure. "Oh…Um, I mean…it's okay, we got a lot of training to get through."

"Got ya," Shikaku said approvingly, always glad to think Kakashi diligently picked up his son for training. "Stay ahead, son. Stay ahead." He flashed a quick smile up at Kakashi before slipping from the room.

Kakashi's stance betrayed a person who'd just suffered near heart failure.

Shikamaru smirked at him. "Aw. Was that too close for comfort?"

"Way too close," Kakashi admitted, dispelling the trance like horror. "Anyway. Maybe, we should continue this discussion someplace else."

"Lead on."

{L*I*T*S}

"Shikamaru!" Naruto's loud voice carried itself happily across to him. "Shikamaru, who's your dance partner?"

"My dance partner?" Shikamaru blinked himself into perspective. "Oh," he turned a begrudging expression on Kakashi. "The midterm dance. I forgot about that one."

"I'm taking Sakura!" Naruto declared in zeal, skidding to a halt in front of Shikamaru and proceeding to walk backwards as they went.

"Really? She said yes?"

"Well, she said no, but, Sasuke hasn't asked her yet, so she'll get desperate and say yes and stuff, so…I'm going with Sakura!"

"Oh. That's awesome." Shikamaru tossed his frown to Kakashi. "Well what do I do?"

"Take me," Kakashi said absently, before deciding that probably wasn't the best thing to let slip in front of Naruto.

Fortunately for him, Naruto's innocence prevailed. "Oh hahaha! Kakashi-sensei, you're so funny! This is why you're my favorite sensei!"

"I'm…your only sensei…"

"Okay, well, seeya at the dance then Shika." Naruto waved a hand and darted off to proclaim his love for Sakura elsewhere. "Bye Kakashi-sensei!"

"Bye. Hey, Shikamaru, seriously, who're you taking?" This new information worried Kakashi. Being a secret boyfriend was delicate business.

"Well, I dunno. Can't exactly take you. That'd be…"

"You know Shika, you're not that young anymore. We can stop dropping into the bushes every time some passes by us."

"I know, it's just…"

"Oh. You mean it's just…"

"Sorta…"

"It's just me, basically."

Shikamaru looked up in confusion at the offended tone he'd received. "What? No, it's just the being gay part."

"Oh," Kakashi breathed in relief, quickly resuming his composure. "Oh. Well that's okay, plenty of people in the village have that problem."

"Uh, no they don't. Name one."

"Well…" Kakashi thought if his colleagues and other fellow Jounin workers who could never know. "Well I do."

"Exactly. It is a harsh world we live in, Kakashi. Truth is not for the weak. My dad is already talking about my marrying Ino…"

"Wait, what?"

"…to carry on some great three man legacy, or something…"

"You can't marry…"

"Hey, Shika!" It was speak of the devil. Ino waved her hand glamorously up at them as though she'd just spotted a long lost friend. "Hey, Shika! Come here."

Kakashi mashed his teeth together as she caught up with them. He felt the urge to get rid of her somehow, but figured he wouldn't get away with anything that obvious.

"Shika!" Ino clutched onto his arm as she landed in range of them, flicking her sparkling eyes into Shikamaru's. "Hey! Who're you taking to the dance?"

"Well, um…" Shikamaru battled to answer that for her. He was a terrible liar, so he angled at a half truth. "I don't know."

"Want to try asking me?" Ino prompted him with daring.

Kakashi's jaw hung a little. How had she mustered the confidence to be so forward? It had taken him years to manage the strength to ask Shikamaru out and here she was…doing it like it was a breeze!

"Um, sure," Shikamaru agreed to reluctantly, before catching on by her patient stare that he was actually supposed to ask the question. "Um, do you wanna go to the dance with me, Ino?"

"I do!" She brought her arms up around his neck in a rapid hug. "Aww, Shika! You have the cutest look on your face!"

Kakashi's stomach sunk, and he felt gravity crush what was left of him.

"Okay, well, seeya at the dance." Shikamaru gave her a smile before she whipped back the way she'd come, going to tell her friends most likely.

"Yeah, you most definitely will! Pick me up at five, okay?" Ino said to him.

"Okay."

As she fell out of earshot, Kakashi's eyes darted to his secret boyfriend. "Okay?"

"What? You couldn't make it," Shikamaru reminded him, trying not to show he felt bad. "Don't make me feel guilty, please. I don't wanna do it. I just have to do it, or everyone will think I'm a loner and start to question me."

"Who's gonna question you on…"

"My parents," Shikamaru volunteered instantly. "And Ino will take it personally."

Kakashi sighed, fumbling for words to express his opposition without inducing guilt. "Look…maybe…"

"Kakashi!" Iruka this time. How many interruptions would it take to get a sentence in? Why was this Village so friendly? "Hey, Kakashi. We need your help at the dance. Will you help supervise?"

"Of course I will," Kakashi said with quick politeness, eyes shut in supposed happiness. "When…When will this be? At five, I'm guessing?"

{L*I*T*S}

"_I do!" Ino said at the wedding, throwing her veil back so that she could meet eyes with Shikamaru. And hands. And mouths._

Kakashi broke from his dream in suddenness, still out of sorts from the imaginary wedding he'd witnessed. They looked so right for each other! That was the worst part.

It was the appropriate situation. The two of them had been childhood friends for ages already. They were boy and girl, there would be no questioning it.

"_My dad is already talking about my marrying Ino…"_

Kakashi bit his own hand to stop from protesting out loud. The silence in his bedroom rung out loud enough to shatter him.

Marriage was a long way off, sure, but…This dance.  
All bad things to come would start with this dance.

{L*I*T*S}

_Author's Note:_

_Wow, this chapter's a little long…I wrote it in two parts and forgot to compensate. ^^_

_Oh, and please note Shika is 16 at the 'three years later' part. Just need to make sure it's clear…we're onto Shippuden now. : )_

_Turning into a bit of a drama, ain't it? Lol. The real story for the Shippuden half will fall into place probably next chapter; just needed to introduce the whole Ino-idea first._

_As always-please review!~ ^^_

_~AfterForever _

_P.S. I felt it shifted really dramatically into Shippuden…Sorry about that; but to be honest, I have so much on my mind right now, it's not a priority how this story gets where it's going…only that it gets there. ^^ Maybe I'll extend on it later? In fact I do sort of have an intention to reflect on some of the scenes missed between Shika being 13 and 16... Bear with me! Lol._

_~AfterForever_


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